Crowd of protestors welcomes new public safety chief

Kalamazoo protesters call for a fresh start as controversial public safety chief retires.

A crowd of protesters gathered in the rain Wednesday to prompt the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety’s new chief to work for police reform.

KDPS Chief Karianne Thomas retired Wednesday. Former Assistant Chief Vernon Coakley moves into the chief’s position Thursday.

Protester Quinton Bryant issued a challenge to incoming Chief Coakley, according to MLive. “I want to be clear that we are looking to you to make a change,” he said. “You can look at this as a fresh start.”

Protesters are critical of the department for its handling of Black Lives Matter demonstrations in June and a racist march in August.

You can read the full story at MLive.

A weekday morning email roundup of Kalamazoo stories and events.

Sign up for our daily newsletter

Independent journalism is essential to a healthy democracy. Make a donation today.

Thank you to the community institutions that support our work:
 

Author

Sorry for this annoying banner — it's required so we stay out of Internet jail. Like most websites, we use cookies to help some features work better. Read our privacy policy.

Scroll to Top